


Akin to Gold

by flxmelxnce



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, just a smidgen of angst tho, nezha being the dumbass he is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22749382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flxmelxnce/pseuds/flxmelxnce
Summary: Nezha has a strange feeling in his chest whenever he sees Baal, and goes to Ladiva for help.
Relationships: Baal/Nezha (Granblue Fantasy)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	Akin to Gold

**Author's Note:**

> //kicks down the door
> 
> i'm back on my bullshitttt-

Nezha idly sat on the wooden ledge of the large Grandcypher airship, his knee propped up to allow his arm to lazily sling over it as his dusty blue eyes gazed across the vast midnight skies and the blinking white stars. His tattered blue scarf gently blew against the soft cold winds, a few stray strands of his ebony hair falling out of place before he tucked them back with an armoured hand.

He couldn't sleep.

It had already been a few months since Nezha had officially joined the Grandcypher crew as another primal beast addition, much to the happiness of the crew's young captain and to the utter disdain of Baal. Nezha chuckled reminiscing his earth companion's face when he arrived upon a flurry of raging winds, declaring his desire to be a part of the large travelling crew before he swiftly dodged a strike of agitated lightning from Baal.

It had been... an _interesting_ experience so far.

Being able to be so up close to humans without any hostility from the latter party has made his curiosity grow, to say the least. He was freely able to learn more about the human lifestyle, adapt to it, and gradually become a being who became less and less of an immortal weapon used for absolute destruction, and instead one who was more akin to humanity.

Although it wasn't hard for Nezha to put on a guise of a human and wander the floating islands in intrigue, it was rather lonely at times, if he were being honest. Libraries were the only places where he could immerse himself in the studies of human life without regarding the absence of his companions.

And when it came to fights... well, most of the time, Nezha didn't sign up for them. There were the occasions when the Grandcypher captain would seek him out for a sparring session or two, and those would be the highlights of Nezha's day-- but a majority of his encounters with humans went quite differently.

Those humans dripped in revenge and bloodlust, guns and blades drawn to overthrow his primal form and cease his existence from the skies. Nezha tended to stay above the clouds because of this, but of course it didn't always work.

He wanted to tell them " _I don't want to be known as a weapon anymore, I don't want to fight you all_."

_But would they ever listen to him?_

He would always be known as one of the most destructive primal beasts during the Astral War, there was no changing nor denying that. Nezha knew how ruthless he was on the battlefront, sending armies flying with his gusts of hostile wind before burning the landscapes with his tornado of flames. He plagued the stagnant air with smoke, his booming laughter filling the ears of his victims as he twirled his crimson spear in a dance of fervent bloodshed. 

Nezha breathed in the cool winds, a white puff of air escaping his lips as he exhaled through his mouth.

But now, he felt much... _happier_? Was that the correct word?

He felt himself smiling more often when Gran would take him out into the nearby town of the island they rested upon, he felt engaged in simple conversations like what they would be eating for dinner or what chores needed to be done around the large airship.

He felt... _alive_.

But there was certainly something that bothered him about his newfound emotions, something that was... different.

When it came to Baal, his primal companion of many years, Nezha felt... _strange_. It was as if the air grew thick when around the music beast, Nezha's dual coloured core tightening in a painless strain, and for the wind primal to feel surprisingly clueless and lost. He was unaware that such a reaction could stem from his core, but he supposed staying with such a large group of humans unlocked those hidden feelings.

But even though he tried his hardest to understand it, he continued to be absolutely stuck.

At times, Nezha found himself unconsciously staring at Baal, wanting to be in his presence, wanting to tag along whenever Gran would usher the earth primal out onto another mission. The dual elemental felt the urge to always protect him, to listen to his idle songs during daybreak, to see his rare yet gentle smile whenever they talked about the fascinations of human life.

Ah, there was that feeling again.

Nezha placed his hand upon his armoured chest, and although it was faint-- due to the thick chestplate he adorned-- he could feel the small thumping of his elemental core, a rhythmic beat that was similar to when Nezha went on an adrenaline rush, but holding such softer emotions than excitement and bloodthirst.

Perhaps he should just sleep on it, he thought, sighing. Although primal beasts such as them do not require as much rest as humans do, it was at least something he could do to hopefully dispel of these wandering emotions of his-- lest he wanted to get rid of his confusion by going to a forest to kill off some stray monsters dwelling there (which wasn't preferred, considering he'd be there alone to dance his frenzy).

_"We also have Raduga over there if you keep going down this hallway," Gran had pointed out during Nezha's tour of the large airship._

_Nezha blinked, "Raduga? I believe that means rainbow, doesn't it?"_

_Gran grinned, "yep! It's a small little place that Ladiva runs during the night. Whenever you need any advice or some good food, Ladiva's got it all in there. Jamil helps out sometimes too, whenever he can."_

Nezha blinked at the memory, closing his eyes.

Ah, indeed, he could feel a faint active presence in the lower decks of the Grandcypher. It seemed like Jamil had gone off on a late night mission, judging by how the wind primal could only feel one life form.

Nezha reopened his blue eyes, stretching his neck. It wouldn't hurt to seek some advice, would it? Especially from a human who was bursting with emotions such as Ladiva, Nezha found her presence almost comforting when he was occasionally lost.

So with a gentle chuckle and another glance at the glittering stars, Nezha stood up and hopped back onto the wooden deck of the airship, quietly making his way across the large flooring and to the staircase that led down the numerous layers of the Grandcypher. The wood creaked with each step he took, making Nezha frown. He'd rather not have some of the crew members wake up because of his restlessness, but he supposed it was better than using his flaming wheels to fly down the narrow hallway.

It wasn't long until the wind primal made it to the dark basement of the Grandcypher, his nose picking up on a gentle yet sweet scent coming from the singular light source down the long hallway. Blinking, Nezha carefully approached the door, the pink and yellow lights illuminating from the cracks as he briefly admired the handiwork of Raduga's wooden sign. He reached out, hesitating almost, before pushing open the barricade as his eyes quickly adjusted to the harsh lighting (after all, having been in the War had its perks).

"Oh! What a surprise to see you here, Nezha," Ladiva greeted the wind primal, winking at him as he sauntered towards the counter she stood behind.

"Hello Ladiva," he dipped his head in a similar greeting, "I hope I'm not intruding by coming here."

"Certainly not," the blonde chuckled, "come sit down. Anything I can fix you up with?"

Nezha shot the taller figure a warm smile, taking a seat upon one of the golden bar stools and resting his elbows upon the table. "I suppose this is a good time to taste the alcohol that skyfarers make," he hummed, "I'll take anything you recommend. I hope to clear my mind tonight, if that's alright."

"I see! Well I'll listen to whatever you have to say, Nezha," Ladiva smiled, and the wind primal already felt his shoulders relaxing at her nature. Her hands quickly moved across her countertop like a master at work, fixing up a drink for the immortal beast.

It, weirdly enough, faintly reminded Nezha of his Astral creator, and their persistent nature in wanting him to be the absolute killing machine during the War-- their hands flying across the tabletops, chemicals and devices being shoved into his body. He remembered the times he'd find them in their laboratory, papers strewn across the porcelain floors and yells of agitation escaping their lips before Nezha was, never without fail, put to strenuous experiments again and again-- over and over until his body was on the verge of collapsing, his core being ripped out and then for it to be put back in again and the endless cycle would continue until he was even more bloodthirsty than before.

That was his life as a dual elemental, and his life being with an Astral who sought his strength more than anything else.

After all, he wouldn't be here with his emotions caged away and for an unknown void of confusion to fill its place if it weren't for them.

 _"Someone like you doesn't need emotions,_ " they had hissed, " _your only job is to kill, to murder, to destroy those pathetic humans until we win this foolish war_."

"Here you go."

Nezha abruptly blinked out of his thoughts, his dusty blue gaze meeting with a delicate glass cup filled to the brim with a yellow slush-like liquid, topped with a wedge of what seemed to be a pineapple.

"It's a pina colada," Ladiva explained, "it's made from what we call rum, which is a distilled alcohol made from sugarcane. Combine it with coconut milk, pineapple juice, and a bit of ice and you have a nice refreshing drink! A good starter to alcohol and something to ease a bit of nerves."

Nezha nodded along with Ladiva's explanation, taking the glass into his hand and sipping at the half frozen liquid, humming at the taste as he retracted his lips. "It's certainly unique," he mused, eyeing the bright yellow colour, "but it is refreshing. The fruit adds a sour citrus flavour, while the coconut milk and rum contrast it with their sweetness. The alcohol blends well with it that it's hard to identify if it truly does contain any."

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Ladiva smiled, before crossing her arms as she cupped a hand to her cheek. "So? What's on your mind?"

Nezha took another sip of the drink before placing it down, his arms resting upon the wooden counter as he idly stared at the glass as he talked. "As a primal beast, it's not often that we get to experience such things as human emotions, especially ones that have time to develop overtime and become a part of our core systems."

"Yes. If I recall correctly, it was quite rare to see primal beasts who were capable of showing emotions back during the War. Only now do they have more feelings because it's been centuries since then."

"Correct," Nezha nodded, "I personally have a long history to my name, and it wasn't until recently that I've finally triggered the emotions that were previously caged in my core components. And although I've learned of what these certain feelings mean, there's still one emotion I can't identify," he frowned, his brows furrowing.

"Oh? Are you able to explain it?"

The wind primal hummed, carefully arranging his words as they left his lips, "it developed so suddenly that even I didn't have time to register that it had manifested. It's unlike anything I've felt before, and it only seems to appear in the presence of Baal." He unconsciously placed a hand upon his chest, "it's as if a nonexistent hand is squeezing at my core, but not with malice intention. It's... warm, almost, like my core is burning when it isn't. And I have an urge to protect him more so than usual, even when we're separated on a mission I can't seem to stop myself from worrying," he murmured.

The primal beast lifted his head up, blue gaze immediately locking onto Ladiva's gentle green ones. Her smile merely softened at hearing Nezha's explanation, and the latter could feel a sense of motherly adoration radiating off of her.

Something that he was rather deprived of, if he was being frank.

Astrals cared nothing about their creations, only the number of bodies they brought back from their time in the battlefront. There was no such thing as care when it came to Nezha's involvement with his Astral, only the care that was put into his core to ensure that it could stay active and alive throughout the longest periods of battle and bloodshed.

But Nezha only tilted his head at the taller female, silently asking for her to reply to his jumble of words.

Ladiva chuckled at this, smile growing wider, "what you're feeling, Nezha, is called _love_ ," she answered, and the wind primal's eyes went wide.

...

_Love?_

His brows furrowed, but the blonde continued in her reply, "that straining feeling in your core, that desire to see him safe and well-- that's _love_ , Nezha," she hummed, her hand moving to her chest where her very own heart would be. "We all feel it as humans at some point. We can love our family, our friends-- and in your case, someone very dear to us that we want to be with them forever."

"As... _humans_?" Nezha's voice was unnaturally soft, laced with a weakness that he was surprised he was even showing to the draph (he supposed Gran was right in saying how people unconsciously go to her for comfort-- her presence was warm).

"Yes," Ladiva smiled, "I'm proud of you, Nezha. Although it's been quite some time since you've joined the crew, you've certainly been more expressive nowadays. Love is a wonderful feeling, and I'm certain Baal feels the same way, don't you think?"

Nezha blinked, surprised, before his gaze returned to his bright yellow drink. "Although I've known Baal for years, at some points, he's difficult to read," he murmured, "but... reciprocating this emotion that I feel? If I'm being honest, I doubt it. Baal would never think of me in that light, knowing remnants of my past history," he chuckled, but it came out more sad than he had thought it would.

"And how would you know that?" Ladiva asked, and Nezha quirked his brow, "you said it yourself, Nezha, that Baal's hard to read. It has taken some time for him to get used to the crew, but I think we can all vouch in saying that he does seem livelier than when you weren't here. We may not know what Baal's thinking, but it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?" She mused.

The wind primal hummed, bringing the glass to his lips once more before placing it back down.

Ladiva continued with a warm smile, "be a bit more confident in yourself, Nezha. You've changed since the War, haven't you? The fact that Baal continues to stay by your side knowing what you were like back then speaks volumes as to how he personally feels. He doesn't regard anything from your past into how he thinks of you currently-- he sees you for you, Nezha."

The dual elemental's eyes narrowed in thought, processing the draph's kind words.

Of course Nezha remembered the time when he attacked Baal and Medusa when they first met-- it was something the wind primal carried with him to this day with an endless amount of regret. He hated how his adrenaline overtook his thought process, he hated how ruthless he was in showing how his power was mightier, he hated reminiscing the wounds he inflicted on his companions, the blood that leaked from the cuts of his spear and the venom filled gazes that were directed towards him.

But now, it was different, wasn't it? Baal's tongue was still as sharp as ever, but that didn't stop Nezha from seeing a softer side to the earth primal on rare occasions.

_"It's nice to see you acting more human."_

_Ah._

Baal had said that after Nezha had protected Gran against a group of bandits, and had purposely thrown himself into knives and bullets to keep them away from the captain. The wind primal had never done that before-- shown concern over a human, the ones who feared and hated him.

Nezha remembered Baal's smile when the words had left his lips, gentle and warm-- as if the earth primal was the epitome of the soft rays of the sun itself. Was it perhaps then that Nezha began to grow these emotions? He didn't know.

But one thing was for sure, Nezha couldn't continue without Baal. Although their introduction to each other was more than rocky, their current relationship was everything that Nezha had wanted in his immortal life. The music beast was the supportive pillar the wind primal needed, the one to calm him down with the strums of his instrument, the one who relentlessly called him idiotic for the rash decisions he made. The one who Nezha could tease and poke fun at, the one who he could talk to for hours on end about mortal life, the one who...

Nezha... _loved_?

He... he did. He did love Baal. He loved Baal a lot.

... _Wow_.

"I... see," Nezha finally voiced after his long pause, his blue eyes a bit more lively and containing hints of sparkling awe. "I suppose... it wouldn't hurt to try and pose the question to him," he hummed, half to himself, as he sipped at his almost forgotten drink.

Ladiva grinned, "that's the spirit Nezha!"

The wind beast let out a soft chuckle, plucking the wedge of pineapple from the rim of the glass and biting a piece of it. "Do you perhaps have any advice as to how I should go about confessing my feelings?" He asked, curious, as he popped the rest of the yellow fruit in his mouth.

The draph let out an amused hum, her hand cupping the side of her cheek in thought. "Hmm... I'd suggest going to the captain about this, if you're up for it. I think he has just the thing for something like this," she smiled.

" _The captain_?" Nezha tilted his head, "I see... it would be rather fitting to do this in skyfarer fashion, no?" He mused, chucking.

"This is you we're talking about, Nezha," Ladiva laughed in similar amusement, "it would only be natural to do it in a way that suits you."

The dual elemental's laugh boomed and reverberated throughout the colourful walls of Raduga, thunderous and deep. "It _would_ be rather interesting to see Baal's reaction to such a thing," Nezha grinned, taking his glass and downing the rest of the bright yellow drink in one swig-- heaving out a soft sigh in contentment as he placed the glassware back onto the wooden counter. Hopping off of the cushioned bar stool, Nezha gave a respectful bow of his head to the taller female. "Thank you for the help in clearing my thoughts, Ladiva. I appreciate it," he smiled.

"Of course! I'm always happy to help!" Ladiva chuckled, "I'm rooting for you, Nezha."

Nezha nodded, giving a curt wave to the blonde draph as he exited the midnight parlour, "next time I visit, I'll bring along a drinking partner," he called over his shoulder, grinning as he heard a small laugh in reply as he pushed open the door.

Heaving a small sigh, Nezha walked down the lengthy hallways of the large airship towards the sleeping quarters of the crew's infamous captain. And although he didn't want to disturb the young boy in his slumber, Nezha could hardly contain his excitement until the morning light. Selfish as it was, the dual elemental wanted to prepare everything before his earth companion awoke.

So here he stood, standing in front of the wooden door of the Grandcypher's designated captain. As quiet yet loud as he could, Nezha tapped his armoured knuckles against the wood, silently praying that the noise would be enough to awaken the brown haired boy.

And it seemed like it had worked, for Nezha could hear a rough shuffling of bedsheets followed by a tired groan. And soon enough, the door swung open to reveal the shorter male donned in his blue set of pajamas, fatigue plaguing his brown gaze as he yawned. "N... Nezha...?" He mumbled out tiredly, shifting to lean against the door, "what... do you need..."

Nezha chuckled softly at the display, but brushed it aside as he replied. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion, I'll get straight to the point so we can get this done as fast as possible. I wish to confess my love to Baal, and Ladiva had advised me to come to you in hopes that you may assist me."

Nezha watched as Gran blinked once, twice, before the young boy seemed to have choked. Before Nezha could react, Gran slammed his door shut, a muffled scream quickly following after, and then for the door to slowly creak open again-- the captain's eyes burning with an intense determination. "You've come to the right place," Gran nodded, "what you need, Nezha, is a ring."

"A ring? _Ah_ -" Nezha blinked- "I've read that when given to someone, it's an expression of eternal love and support, correct? Is that how skyfarers do it?"

Gran gave an enthusiastic nod of his head, brown eyes sparkling, "yep! I can fix you up with one by morning, if y'want."

Nezha smiled, dipping his head in gratitude. "It would be very much appreciated. Thank you."

The young captain laughed, reaching up to give the wind primal a firm pat on the shoulder. "I'm rooting for you Nez. You've got this," he grinned cheekily.

Nezha's eyes widened, evidently surprised, but his lips were quick in forming a smirk of his own. "Of course," he chuckled, "I'll do my best."

Gran's smile beamed. "I'll see you in the dining hall in the morning?" He asked, receiving a curt nod from the dual elemental. "Great! I'll get everything ready for you. I'll see you then, Nezha."

The primal beast grinned, "yes. Have a good night, Gran."

* * *

Nezha walked into the dining hall at sunrise, greeting the passing crew members as they hurriedly prepared for their breakfast meal. But even through the commotion could Nezha never mistake the young male donning a blue hood, the renown captain and leader of the Grandcypher ship, who stood in the far back of the room.

Gran immediately met Nezha's gaze and waved to him, and the dual elemental gave his own curt wave back as he approached the human.

"Here you go!" Gran beamed, thrusting a small box towards Nezha, who perked a brow at the velvet blue container. He cautiously took it from the captain's hand, giving a thorough look over before gently opening it-- revealing a small golden band tucked into the cushion of the box, adorned with shining white crystals. "It's..." Nezha voiced after a pause, his eyes sparkling with intrigue and awe, "certainly eye-catching..."

"Right? They're really pretty," Gran grinned. "Just give that to Baal and done!" He leaned up to Nezha, a hand shielding one side of his mouth and the wind primal bent his knees slightly so the captain would be able to whisper in his ear. "Baal's outside on the deck," he murmured quietly, glancing around as he continued. "I told him I had something to talk to him about, so he could wait there until I was done with things here. It's still pretty early, so the rest of the crew won't be awake yet. And the ones who are will be here helping out. You get where I'm going with this, right?"

Nezha blinked, surprised at Gran's scheme, but nonetheless smirked back at the young captain. "I have the whole deck to myself and Baal?"

"You got it!" Gran grinned, giving a few firm pats to Nezha's back. "I'm cheering you on, Nez! Go get him!"

Nezha laughed at the young male, ruffling the boy's hair with a hand. "Alright. I'll see you soon." He stifled a chuckle at Gran's thumbs up, tucking the box into his pocket before spinning on his heel and walking up the stairs of the airship to the deck.

He relished the soft winds of the morning when he reached the top, breathing in the fresh air and humming in content. But what made his smile bloom even more was the gentle sounds of a guitar being played, and Nezha's feet automatically moved towards the source of the delicate music.

His blue eyes softened when he found Baal's figure sitting idly upon the Grandcypher, feet hanging off of the edge of the airship with Hannibal beside him. His back was towards Nezha, but even then was he more than aware of the dual elemental's presence, his head turning and for them to lock gazes with each other. Baal blinked, pausing in his song, before letting out a soft huff. "Going out to cause mischief again?" He asked, although his words had no bite to them.

Nezha chuckled, casually walking up to the earth primal and hopping up onto the ledge, seating himself next to Baal-- which gave Hannibal the chance to scamper across Baal's lap and to Nezha, purring excitedly at the wind primal's presence, to which he laughed at. "No," he replied to Baal's earlier words, scratching Hannibal's head. "I merely wanted to see you."

Baal's face turned pink at this, and Nezha couldn't help but smirk. He looked away from Nezha, mindlessly plucking at his guitar strings to occupy himself. Nezha laughed at this before bringing his arm to wrap around Baal's shoulders, tugging him closer to his side. And when Baal looked up at him with brows furrowed in both embarrassment and annoyance, Nezha spoke. "Baal," he started, pausing as he formed the correct words in his head, "... _do you know I love you_?"

He watched as Baal's crimson eyes widened, his mouth opening in surprise and shock and for a moment Nezha regretted his words. Perhaps it _was_ unbelievable that he was able to feel such things as love, perhaps it _was_ wrong to have done this. 

_Perhaps Baal was disgusted in him._

But Baal finally regained his senses again, his pale features fuming red as he frantically looked away from the wind primal beast. " _I_..." he mumbled shakily, "I... never knew, no."

Nezha's lips thinned, his gaze going downcast. Of course, this was the outcome he had expected anyways. No one could reciprocate feelings of affection to a primal beast who was a rabid monster during the events of the War. "... I see," he murmured, retracting his arm from Baal's shoulders. "I apologize for my sudden question, I'll take my lea-"

"No, _wait_ -" Baal had grabbed Nezha's hand before he could move to stand back up, and now it was Nezha's turn to be surprised at his companion's abrupt actions. " _That's_... not what I meant," Baal voiced, gaze averting again as he spoke. "I thought... _I_ was the only one who felt that way about our current relationship..." he mumbled, but still loud enough for Nezha to hear and for him to be even more surprised.

"So..." Nezha trailed off, moving his hand so his fingers intertwined with Baal's, clutching it. "Does this mean... you reciprocate my feelings, Baal?" He asked, tilting his head.

There was a chilling pause before Baal gently squeezed Nezha's hand back, still not looking at the wind primal but Nezha saw the nod of his head saying yes.

Nezha blinked once, twice, before grinning and bursting out into joyous laughter-- unable to hide his absolute glee. He effortlessly picked Baal up, hearing him let out a startled squeak as he placed the earth primal onto his lap, letting Baal rest his head against his chest. Baal looked up at Nezha, embarrassed red donning his cheeks before Nezha pulled out the velvet blue box from his pocket, watching as the earth primal's mouth snapped shut upon seeing it.

Nezha smiled, popping the lid open and presenting it to Baal. "I have this to give to you as well," he murmured softly, chuckling, "I had read that this was how skyfarers show their love and appreciation to their partners, and so I had Gran graciously make this for me to give to you."

Baal was frozen stiff, crimson eyes staring at the ring as he fumbled for words before ultimately groaning out, burying his face against Nezha's chest as he uselessly punched him without any strength. " _You're the absolute worst_..." he groaned again, before placing both his hands on his face to shield his embarrassment, to which Nezha laughed at.

"Will you accept my proposal, Baal?" He hummed, gently tugging one of Baal's hands away and bringing it up to his lips, kissing Baal's knuckles and receiving an indecipherable sound from the earth primal in response.

"Nezha _you_..." Baal started, glaring at the wind primal but his gaze immediately softened upon seeing the genuine look in the dual elemental's gaze. He gave a long sigh, shifting to make himself more comfortable on Nezha's lap before resting his head against Nezha's chest again, beckoning Hannibal over to sit on Baal's own lap. "Just..." he sighed again, the red on his cheeks dimmed to a light pink now, "hurry and put the ring on my finger already..." he grumbled, grunting when Hannibal curled up on his thighs.

Nezha chuckled in amusement at Baal's tone of voice, but nonetheless took the ring out from its container and setting the small box aside. He pulled off Baal's glove, feeling the earth primal watching his every action, and discarded the purple cloth to the side to join the empty box. Nezha glanced at Baal for a moment, smiling warmly, before he gently slipped the golden band on Baal's finger, nodding quietly to himself at how it fit perfectly on his companion's finger. He let go of Baal's hand for the earth primal to examine the ring up close for himself, one of his own hands moving to wrap around Baal's waist to pull him closer to his chest, making the music beast grunt.

"I... hadn't realized I had loved you for quite some time, Baal," Nezha admitted, gaining Baal's attention. "It was only until last night when I had visited Ladiva to ask for her input on my situation, and she described that the warm feeling in my chest that I have when you're near was love," he laughed, "I thought it was impossible for me to feel something such as love but... I was mistaken. But I had thought for sure you wouldn't reciprocate my affection, Baal."

Baal's eyes narrowed in what seemed like dumbfoundment at Nezha's words, but he gave a long sigh soon after. He moved his hands to cup Nezha's cheeks, and before the wind primal could say anything, he felt Baal's lips gently press against his own in a kiss, soft and lingering for just a moment longer before he moved away, face flushed. "You're an idiot," Baal hissed without any bite, "but I suppose it's something that I have to continue to deal with, as annoying as it is."

Nezha blinked in surprise, stunned at Baal's actions, before he chuckled-- leaning down to press his very own kiss to Baal's warm cheek. "Thank you, Baal. For loving me," he hummed softly, resting his chin atop Baal's head.

"Why are you thanking me?" Baal scoffed, mindlessly turning the ring on his finger. "I... love you, okay? There's no need to thank me for doing what my emotions desire. Even if you're idiotic and a nuisance sometimes, loving you means I accept all those aspects of you, alright?" He sighed.

Nezha hummed, laughing softly at Baal's irritated tone. "Alright. But know that I feel the same about you-- in fact, your _tsundere_ nature is quite entertaining to me, Baal," he chuckled, earning himself a glare and another punch from the earth primal.

He pressed a lingering kiss to the top of Baal's head, wrapping his arms snugly around his companion's smaller figure. "I love you very much, Baal. More than you'd think, I'd like to say."

"Can you shut up once in a while?"

Nezha laughed again-- he laughed a lot around Baal, he realized. Everything that made him happy rooted from Baal, actually.

He never thought he would be able to experience human emotions, even if he read books upon books about the nature of skyfarers. And Nezha didn't know what kind of powers Baal had that made him be able to unlock these feelings from inside Nezha's core, but he was grateful nonetheless-- grateful that Baal was the one who did it, who saw the human inside of him that had long since disappeared.

He gently took Baal's left hand into his own, smiling softly to himself when he felt the coldness from the ring touch his skin.

But one thing was for sure, Nezha thought, squeezing Baal's hand and receiving the same affectionate action in response.

Baal certainly looked pretty with the ring on.

**Author's Note:**

> when will i ever get tired of natabaal ? who knows-
> 
> thank u for reading. i will go back to praying for playable nezha for the millionth time now-
> 
> twitter: @flxmelxnce


End file.
